Deep linking MP3s—legal or not—does not violate copyright law in China, a court has found. The Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court has cleared popular search engine Baidu of copyright charges brought by the music industry, saying that merely providing search results doesn’t qualify as infringement. Although China has never been known for its respect for intellectual property, the decision in this case seems to mirror others being made around the world.
The case was brought by the international sibling of the RIAA, the IFPI, back in February 2008 when it accused Baidu and a handful of other Chinese companies of supporting piracy. The charge was that Baidu’s results provided links to file sharing sites and, in many cases, direct links to illegally shared MP3s on various servers around the world. The IFPI said it unsuccessfully attempted to negotiate a resolution with Baidu, leaving it with no other choice but to sue over the deep linking practice. The labels being represented by the IFPI were seeking maximum damages totaling up to at least US$9 million, but could have gone into the billions if more songs were discovered.
Go to Baidu cleared in copyright infringement case brought by IFPI
AP – The U.N. climate conference narrowly escaped collapse Saturday as bitterly divided delegates agreed after all-night talks to recognize a political compromise that President Barack Obama brokered with China and other emerging powers.
AP – A diplomatic frenzy enveloped the final scheduled day of the U.N. climate conference Friday, with President Barack Obama meeting with China’s premier as world leaders pressed to salvage a global warming accord amid deep divisions between rich and poor nations.
AP – Tens of thousands of protesters have marched through the chilly Danish capital and nearly 1,000 were detained in a mass rally to demand an ambitious global climate pact, just as talks hit a snag over rich nations’ demands on China and other emerging economies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A young giant panda that became a major attraction after his birth at the National Zoo in Washington will leave for China early next year for breeding. Zoo officials announced Friday that the panda, Tai Shan (pronounced ty SHAWN), would be leaving as soon as January
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Young Panda Is Leaving the National Zoo – New York Times
HONOLULU — The competency hearing of a Maui man accused of spying for China has ended with the prosecutor claiming the defendant is difficult to work with and makes wild exaggerations but is legally able to stand trial. But at federal court on Friday, lawyers for Noshir Gowadia contended their …
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Prosecutor: Alleged Maui spy is difficult but sane – Washington Post
HONOLULU — A former B-2 stealth bomber engineer accused of spying for China suffers from narcissistic personality disorder, expert witnesses for the prosecution and the defense testified in federal court Thursday.
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Hearing begins for Maui man accused of being spy – Times Union
HUNTSVILLE, Tenn., Nov 20, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) — A Texas man was put to death Thursday evening for his part in a deadly 1996 robbery after Gov. Rick Perry refused to follow a recommendation for clemency
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Texas executes accomplice to killing – Investors Business Daily
HONOLULU — Expert witnesses for the prosecution and the defense have testified a former B-2 stealth bomber engineer accused of spying for China suffers from narcissistic personality disorder. The forensic psychologists also said during a federal court hearing Thursday in Honolulu that Noshir …
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Competency hearing opens for accused Maui spy – Ledger-Enquirer
AP – President Barack Obama has left Washington on his first major trip to Asia, where a surging China and newly assertive Japan are threatening to upend America’s longtime role as keeper of the peace and trader-in-chief.